The North Bay Battalion game 7 good fortune ran out today as the Petes edged the North Bay Battalion 3-2.
“This is a tough thing to do right now,” explained head coach Ryan Oulahen. “They gave us everything they had, our player. This was such a special group that we had this year.
“A lot of people don’t realize that we have built this for four years with the same guys, the drafts that have come through, and we really thought we had as good a chance as anybody to win it at the end of the day. For sure I give credit to the Peterborough Petes and congratulations, it’s a big victory.
“For us, I couldn’t be more proud of our group and the effort. It’s going to he tough to say goodbye to a lot of them.”
“I think in the OHL you’re spending everyday with your teammates, and for us we created a brotherhood,” echoed Ty Nelson. “It’s going to be tough to say goodbye, but for us it’s a see ya later and not a goodbye because of how special this was.”
Mid first Battalion strike first on an odd man rush Justin Ertel's shot popped out to Josh Bloom who put it past Michael Simpson for the 1-0 lead.
Early second Owen Beck takes advantage of Alexander Lukin who lost his balance at the Battalion blue line which allowed Beck to walk right in and rip home the equalizer for the Petes.
The Petes nabbed their first lead as Brennan Othmann scored a 4 on 4 goal upstairs past Dom DiVincentiis at 6:55 of the middle frame.
The Battalion responded as Liam Arnsby tipped a Ty Nelson shot that slipped by Simpson to square it at 2-2 with 7 minutes left in the period.
Just over 5 minutes into the third J.R. Avon was able to get behind Lukin and went upstairs on DiVincentiis to make it 3-2.
The Battalion battled but the Petes held off the Troops in the final two minutes with the net empty to give them the Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference champions.
For Peterborough, the championship pedigree of Avery Hayes and Gavin White was a big factor. The pair won an OHL championship with the Hamilton Bulldogs last season, edging the Battalion en route.
“About White and Hayes, they’re probably better people, and that’s hard,” coach Rob Wilson said. “We had heard that from a lot of people and the hockey world is small and you talk to a lot of people and they said the same. It’s been fantastic having those guys on this team.”
“It’s a bit of deja vu for White and I,” explained Hayes. “Being here last year and with the same chance to close it out in North Bay.
“We learnt last year through the regular season and playoffs how to win these big games, and we have other guys who have won at different levels. We have such a talented group, and even more we have a lot of character in this group.”
The Petes win the Bobby Orr Trophy and will meet the London Knights in the OHL finals which begin later this week. It's the first appearance in the OHL final for the Petes in 17 years.
For Oulahen and Nelson, the return of the 7th man was huge for the Battalion, and gives promise moving forward.
“It’s incredible to see the support in our community,” Nelson remarked. “That’s the type of thing when you’re playing OHL hockey, it can really swing momentum. For myself, it gives you goosebumps and chills.
“I can speak on behalf of the team and say we’re beyond grateful of the support the community has given us this year.”
“Honestly it’s amazing,” added Oulahen. “We have the best building in the league this time of year, there’s no question.
“Now why don’t we make this a cool environment in October, November, December, that would be next level. We have some special players and good group of returning players as well.”
With returning players like Nelson, Dom DiVincentiis, Dalyn Wakely, Anthony Romani and co, the future remains bright for the Troops.
